Friday 5: top 5 sales pitch tips

Via Shaun Brown comes this week’s Friday 5: a list of the top 5 sales pitch tips. He emphasizes the importance of audience participation:

The more rapport you have with an individual or a group, the more receptive they will be to your message.

Many consultants launch right into a sales pitch, instead of taking time to connect with their audiences. It makes sense to build rapport, especially in a business like consulting. You’re really selling yourself — your skills, expertise, approach and personality. If you can’t build a connection with the people evaluating your services, you’ll never win.

Rapport is certainly important, I’d just like to add that you’re not there to make friends, though, and a comfy feeling of rapport can lull you into a false sense of security. Better to be on your toes and make sure your message gets across.